Automatic car-coupling



(No Model.)

B. BOWEN. AUTOMATIC GAR COUPLING.

No. 469,228. v Patented Feb. 23, 1892;

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

EMMER BOIVEN, OF SOUTH LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,228, dated February 23, 1892.

A Application filed May 2,1891. Serial No. 391,316. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMMER BOWEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Car- Oouplers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a cheap, simple, and efficient carcoupler which will couple automatically, using the ordinary link-coupling, and which can be uncoupled with great ease by one on the top or at the side of the car.

A further object is to accomplish this by means which will not be liable to get out of order and which means will be so situated as to be out of danger from being bent either from the brakeman stepping thereupon or from any of the ordinary causes of injury to such means.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure l is a plain side elevation of a portion of one end of the body of a car provided with my improved coupling. Fig. 2 is a plain end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal mid-section of the draw-head and coupling mechanism. Fig. 4C is a plan view of the draw-head and coupling device and the lower parts of the uncoupling device.

My improved coupler comprises the combination of a draw-head A, provided with the hook-receiving channel B, the pivoted linkretaining hook 0 within such channel and pivoted to the draw-head and provided with the rearward ly-extendin g hook-operating arm D, the hook-operating spring E, secured to the draw-head and arranged to engage the arm D to press the head of the hook O clown- Ward, the crank-rod F, provided with the crank F and journaled to the car beneath and connected with the arm D by suitable intermediate connections, such as the connecting-rod G. The uncoupling crank-rod F is arranged beneath the car X to extend from the draw-head nearly to the side of the car, where it is provided with the handle H, which is also beneath the body of the car.

I is a springcatch, having the retainingshoulder '5 and'arranged with its main memher a in position for engagement with the handle II when the coupler is in its normal coupling position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and with its shoulder 2' in position to engage the top of the handle to hold it in its depressed position when the handle is turned to lift the head of the hook G, as shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The tension of the main body a of the spring-catch I is such as to force the catch I inward, so as to bring the shoulder 11 above the handle H whenever such handle is depressed.

In order to adapt myimproved coupling device to be employed by one standing upon the top of the car, I provide the journaled springsupported vertically-reciprocating rod J, secured to the carand provided at its lower end with the handle and catch-engaging arm I), which is arranged above the handle H and is adapted and arranged to be raised and lowered to engage such handle and to be partially rotated to engage the main body a of the spring-catch I. I

K is the spring which supports the rod .I.

' L is the lug to prevent the rotation of the rod J in a direction not desired. The force of the gravity of the head of the hook O and the tension of the hook-engaging spring E is sufficient to raise the handle H into its elevated position (shown in Fig. 1) whenever the parts are free to be actuated by such gravity and spring.

In operation, when it is desired to automatically couple the cars, the link M is placed in position, as shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 3, and is held in its horizontal position by the pressure of the head of the hook CI The opposite coupler is, as usual, unprovided with any link, and its coupling-hook C is allowed to remain in the position shown in Fig. 3. Then the cars are brought together, the

link engages the rounded face f of the linkretaining hook, thus lifting the head of the hook and allowing the link to be inserted until it has passed beyond the point of the hook, when the hook is returned to its position (shown in Fig. 3) by its own gravity and the force of the spring E. lVhen it is desired to uncouple, the handle H is depressed either by the operator standing upon the ground (who manipulates the handle H by his hand without operating the rod .l) or by the operator upon the top of the car, who forces the rod J downward, thus bringing the handle-operating arm b into contact with the handle 11 to force such handle down until it is below the shoulder 2', thus allowing the spring-catch I to press inward to bring the shouldert above the handle H, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby holding the handle H in its depressed position. WVhen itis desired to again release the hook and allow it to fall into the position shown in Fig. 3, the operator turns the rod J to bring the arm 1) against the main body a of the spr ng-catch I to force the spring-catch I downward, thus removing the shoulder '5 from engaging with the handle H and allowing the gravity of the hook O and force of the spring E to return the handle H to its normal position. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 2.)

It is desirable to arrange the rod J in close proximity to the brake-wheel N, so that the brakeman or other operator standing upon the top of the car will be enabled to steady himself while operating the uncoupling device by holding onto the brake-wheel N.

It is designed to arrange the hooks in the draw-heads at such a distance from the front end of the draw-heads that when-a standard link is used in coupling there will be but very little play between the parts, thus avoiding the objectionable slack common with ordinary link-couplings.

The pivot-pin P is arranged horizontally in line with the axis of the link-When such link isin position, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the line of draft will be direct from the pivot.

The intermediate connecting device which operatively connects the crank F with the arm D is arranged to permit sufficient slack or freeness of motion to allow the hook to be raised to admit the link without throwing the handle I-I down below the shoulder 'i.

In the drawings the holes e e in the crank F and arm D are shown larger than the connecting-rod G to provide for such slack motion.

Now having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the draw-head, the pivoted link-retaining hook provided with the operating-arm, the jonrnaled crank-rod provided with the crank and handle, suitable i ning the crank and operating-arm, arranged to permit slack motion, as set forth, and the handle-engagin g catch arranged to retain the handle in its depressed position.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination of the journaled crank-rod provided with the handle, means for holding the handle in its elevated position, the catch for holding the handle in its depressed position, and the journaled vertically-reciprocating rod provided at its lower end with the handle and catch-engaging arm, arranged above the handle to engage the handle and catch.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination of the draw-head, the pivoted link-retaining hook provided with the operating-arm, the spring arranged to engage such arm, the journaled crank-rod provided with the crank, and means for con necting the crank with such operatingarm.

5. The combination of the journaled uncoupling crank-rod provided with the handle, the spring-catch I, provided with the retaining-shoulder, and the journaled reciprocating rod provided at its lower end with the handle and catch-engaging arm, arranged to be raised and lowered to engage such handle and partially rotated to engage such catch.

6. The combination of the pivoted link-retaining hook provided with the operating-arm, the spring arranged to engage such arm to force the hook downward, the journaled crank-rod provided with the crank and handle, suitable connections connecting such crank and arm, the spring-catch arranged to engage such handle, and the reciprocating rod J, provided with the handle and catch-engaging arm, arranged to engage such catch and handle.

EMMER BOWEN.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. TOWNSEND, ALFRED I. TOWNSEND. 

